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Kushina Uzumaki
was a Konohagakure kunoichi who originated from Uzushiogakure's Uzumaki clan and the second jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.Naruto chapter 500, page 2 Background Born into the famed Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure, Kushina lived most of her youth being caught-up in war, making her seek for a daily "peace". At a young age she was sent to Konoha and enrolled in the Academy. Wanting to make a strong first impression, she proclaimed to her class that she would be the first female Hokage. The other kids laughed at her statement, and began calling her because of her then-round face and fiery red hair. This prompted her to lash out and pummel the kids who teased her. This, in addition to her red hair flowing wildly around her, earned her the nickname of . Sometime after arriving in Konoha, Kushina was kidnapped by Kumogakure ninja who wanted to make use of her special chakra. As they escorted her to Kumo she secretly plucked and left behind strands of her red hair to mark her trail in the hopes that someone would find her. Minato Namikaze, one of her classmates that Kushina believed to be a wimp, was the only one to pick up on this. After rescuing her he informed her that he had always admired her red hair. Since Minato proved himself to be anything but a "wimp" and liked the one thing she hated about herself, Kushina fell in love with him, now considering her red hair as the that had brought them together. Kushina was eventually told why she had to leave her home of Uzushio and go to Konoha; because of her special chakra, she was to be the next jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Kushina was terrified by the idea, but she was comforted by the Nine-Tails' then-current jinchūriki, Mito Uzumaki. Before the transfer was performed, Mito told Kushina that love was the only way to tame the Nine-Tails and overcome its hate. The love of Minato helped her do so. As she grew up Kushina became renowned for her beauty and unique ninjutsu style, including the fūinjutsu of her clan. At some point, Kushina married Minato and they conceived a son. During her ten-month jinchūriki-influenced pregnancy, they decided to name him "Naruto" after the main character of Jiraiya's first book. When Jiraiya asked if they were sure, stating that it was a name he had just came up with whilst eating a bowl of ramen one day, Kushina said that it was a beautiful name. They even approved of Jiraiya to be Naruto's godfather. Kushina also hoped that her son and her best friend Mikoto Uchiha's youngest son Sasuke would become friends in the future. Because the seal keeping the Nine-Tails within Kushina's body would be at its weakest during childbirth, special arrangements were made. Kushina would leave the village in secret and give birth in a remote location. Minato would help maintain the seal and ANBU would guard the area. Soon after Naruto was born they were found by Madara Uchiha. Madara killed all of the ANBU, Biwako, Taji, and took the newborn baby Naruto hostage, threatening to kill him as well. Minato was able to take Naruto back, but this gave Madara the chance to escape with Kushina. Wishing to use the Nine-Tails to destroy Konoha, Madara released it from Kushina's body. Since the longevity inherent to the Uzumaki clan allowed her to survive the extraction, though greatly weakened by experience, Madara tried to have the Nine-Tails finish Kushina off. She was saved by Minato and brought to Naruto, who she stayed with while Minato went to help in the village's defence. To stop the Nine-Tails' attack, Minato was forced to bring it to Kushina and Naruto's location, and both of them to its. Despite her weakened state, Kushina used her diminished chakra to restrain the Nine-Tails. Kushina then volunteered to have it sealed back into her body so that it would die with her. Doing so would also save the lives of Minato and Naruto; her thanks to them for giving her such a happy life. Minato suggested using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal on the Nine-Tails and sealing the rest of it into Naruto instead. As this would also mean Minato's death, and consequently give Naruto a horrible and lonely life, Kushina naturally objected. Minato convinced her that it was for the best, and that doing this would also allow Kushina see Naruto when he was older. When the Nine-Tails realised their intentions, it tried to kill Naruto, but both Minato and Kushina used their bodies to shield him. As Minato performed the sealing, and already at the point of death, Kushina told Naruto how much she loved him and gave him her best advice for the future; her final act in this world was to fill her son with as much of her love as possible. Minato then sealed the rest of their remaining chakra into Naruto, ending their lives. Her family name was then given to Naruto by the Third Hokage, in hopes that nobody else would discover the connection between Naruto and Minato. Appearance Tsunade pointed out that Kushina was a woman well-known for her beauty. Her skin was fair and her eyes were violet (portrayed as blue in anime). She had a slender but highly feminine build. As an adult she usually wore a high-collared, sleeveless loose-fitting dress with a green apron over it, a black band on her left wrist and standard sandals. She had long, bright-red hair (portrayed as a red-plum colour in the anime), a common trait amongst the members of the Uzumaki clan, that reached down to her calves, with strands that framed both sides of her face, with the left one being parted by a hair clip. In her childhood, she had a round face which with her red hair made her look like a tomato. She also wore a short sleeve, kimono-like plain blouse with a dark embroidered border with loose sleeves, held closed with a dark coloured obi, a dark skirt and stockings that stopped at her thighs. Personality According to Jiraiya, Kushina was talkative and a tomboyish girl. Tsunade noted that much of Naruto's personality, as well as his style of ninjutsu, was inherited from her. Kushina also had a verbal tic: when flustered or excited, she would end her sentences with , a trait she hoped (unsuccessfully) she wouldn't pass down to Naruto (who ends his with "(da)ttebayo"). As an adult, Kushina was shown to be very level-headed and cheerful. Despite her calm and kind demeanour, she still had a slight temper and could lash out from it. She loved her husband and newborn son very deeply and was not afraid to sacrifice her life to stop the Nine-Tails. Abilities Though she stated that she was never originally any good in using ninjutsu, Kushina apparently became famous for her strong-willed spirit and her unique style of ninjutsu. In her childhood, she showed herself to be a fierce and frightening barehanded fighter, able to pummel several kids "half to death" for teasing her. Kushina also possessed an unusual and special form of chakra, which made her well-suited for becoming the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. She was able to produce chakra chains from her body to restrain others. The chains are strong enough to hold down the Nine-Tails.Naruto chapter 503, pages 13-14 She could also use these chains to form a barrier. As a member of the Uzumaki clan, she was blessed with an exceptionally long potential lifespan. Her life-force was so strong that she survived the extraction of a tailed beast minutes after giving birth to Naruto, though she was left severely weakened. She also had great skill and knowledge of advanced fūinjutsu,Naruto chapter 500, page 3 some of which she would share with Minato. Part II Confining the Jinchūriki Arc Sixteen years after having the Nine-Tails sealed into his body, Naruto finally tried to gain control of the beast. When he was almost overwhelmed by the Nine-Tails' hatred, Kushina appeared before him. Naruto initially believed that she was the Nine-Tails in disguise, so she hits him in the head. She then apologised for her short-temper, telling Naruto that she hoped that wasn't a trait he inherited from her. Picking up on this and realising Kushina was his mother, Naruto started to cry and embraced her. His happiness halted the Nine-Tails' spreading influence and Kushina used her chakra chains to restrain the Nine-Tails and give them a chance to talk. The Nine-Tails was surprised by her presence. Naruto complimented Kushina for her looks and expressed envy for her hair. Kushina was glad to hear this, as it meant Naruto took after Minato by admiring her hair. Though embarrassed when asked on the subject, Kushina told Naruto how she met Minato and how they fell in love. She told Naruto that she loved him too, which gave him the resolve to try and tame the Nine-Tails again. Kushina used her chakra chains to help him and Naruto ultimately succeeded. She congratulated him and said that she could now join Minato, making Naruto somewhat visibly saddened that she had to go. With her remaining time she told him about the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha and how the beast came to be sealed within him. After her story was done she apologised for placing such a burden on him. Naruto replied that it didn't matter, for even though she and Minato weren't there to show their child love, he knew that they had loved him long before the Nine-Tails was sealed into him; thus, he didn't blame her and Minato for anything and was happy to be their son. Overjoyed, Kushina tearfully hugged Naruto, and thanked him for letting her and Minato be his parents, before she completely faded away to be with Minato in the afterlife. Trivia * Kushina's name means "Nine Goods". * Kushina was a good cook, as Minato preferred her cooking the most. * As Kushina was nicknamed for a red pepper and Minato was famed as the "Yellow Flash", Naruto's appropriate self-styled title of "Orange Hokage" refers to the fact that the colour orange is a mixture of red and yellow. * On the cover of Naruto chapter 503, Kushina's wild red flowing hairs resembled the Nine-Tails' tails. * She is the only known jinchūriki to have survived the extraction of a tailed beast. This was due to her clan's vitality which she inherited.Naruto chapter 501, page 12 * Jiraiya's recollection of Kushina while she was pregnant appeared during the end credits of the movie Naruto Shippūden 4: The Lost Tower. * According to the Third Databook: ** Kushina's hobbies were pulling pranks and chattering. ** Kushina's favourite food was salt ramen, while she disliked coffee and anything bitter. ** Kushina didn't want to fight anyone in particular. ** Kushina's favourite phrase was "Don't give up until the end". * Kushina mentions that her hair became her own "red thread of fate". The red string of fate, also referred to as the red thread of destiny, red thread of fate, and other variants, is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend and is also used in Japanese legend. According to this myth, the gods tie an invisible red string around the ankles of men and women who are destined to be soul mates and will one day marry each other. Often, in Japanese culture, it is thought to be tied around the little finger. The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of time, place or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break. This myth is similar to the Western concept of soulmates or a twin flame. Quotes * (As a child, when asked what her dream for the future was) Naruto chapter 498, page 11 * (To Jiraiya) Naruto chapter 382, page 10 * (To Minato while dying) "Don't look so sad… Minato. I'm… I'm happy. Happy that you loved me. Happy that it's… our son's… birthday. Like… If I try to imagine surviving and the three of us… living together… I can't think of anything… beyond 'I'd be so happy.' If I had any regrets… It would be that I won't see Naruto grow up." * (To Naruto) Naruto chapter 498, page 16 * (To Naruto) Naruto chapter 498, pages 16–17 * (To Naruto) "Thank you for letting me be your mother, and for letting Minato be your father. Thank you for being our son. Thank you… Thank you!" References